Three weeks today I will be aboard the Mont St Michel at the start of an 11-day run performing for passengers travelling between Portsmouth and Caen, including those travelling over the Easter weekend.  This will be my first time performing at sea – in fact it will be the first time I have been to sea since I left school – and it I’m looking forward to it with a mixture of excitement and mild concern.

Concern because I need to do some serious planning for what to take and what to leave at home.  Space will be limited, so I don’t have the luxury of taking my biggest props.  And my audience will be a mix of British and French passengers, and my French is limited to say the least, so the routines I perform will need to be very visual, with a minimum of talking.

I won’t be able to pop home for a replacement prop or some more supplies, either, so I need to be sure that when I snap my cases shut and set off for Portsmouth that I have enough of everything I’ll need, including those things that get used up during shows, like balloons, sweets, etc.  So lots to think about over the next three weeks.

I’m booked to perform two shows a day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, so they’re keeping me busy while I’m on board.  Sadly it means I have had to turn down a lot of enquiries for the two weekends I’ll be away, but this was an opportunity and an experience too good to miss.  But you never know; I may not enjoy a life on the ocean, so whether I’ll want to do this on a regular basis remains to be seen.

Anyway, if you’re travelling to France between 11 and 22 April and will be aboard the Mont St Michel, come and say hi.  It’ll be great to see you.  If not, you can follow my adventure on my Facebook and Twitter pages, and I’ll post another blog or two here to keep you up to date.

Now, where did I leave my pirate costume?